Sunday October 14th

Well, we definitely had a taste of what's to come yesterday morning with a touch of ground frost, which developed in to quite a sharp looking frost as we got out of the town and to the fishery. The water on the old lake still held a fair amount of colour mind, and with the changing of the weather I really didn't know where I wanted to draw!

In the end I took my customary place late in the draw queue and dipped my hand in with just three pegs left, and out came peg 70 - that'll do, it's a good peg year round and has a few options. The peg has a small island in it, but I knew the bottom is very irregular near it, plus I couldn't get tight to it with the reeds hanging over. In the end I elected to fish the near slope at 5m, and on the slope up to the island at 13m. The depths were roughly 5ft (the far line was about 2in deeper). I put up near identical rigs for the two lines, with the only difference being a heavier .4gr NG Decker used long as it caught the breeze a touch more. Terminal gear was .17 line to a .15 hook-link and a size 16 hook, with the lakky Preston 13h. I had small tree over hanging to my right at 6m, where I had a margin rig up to fish there in 2ft of water. Float was a .2gr NG XTM, while the terminal gear was the same as the other rigs, except the lakky was Preston 15h. I did also put up a shallow rig to try, but never picked it up in the end!

On the whistle the 5m line got about a quarter of a pot of hemp and corn, and I then put just six grains of corn and a small pinch of hemp in the small Toss-Pot and went out to the long line. I had a liner pretty quick, and I started to see odd fish cruise as it got quite warm in the sun - which I was nicely sat in! Peg 42 started off like a train (they had six fish in the first hour!) while pegs 46 and 48 also had a carp early.

I'd topped up the swim for a third time with the small pot as I was getting signs of fish (I'd came back every five minutes to do so) and as I lowered the rig in the third time the float went within seconds of it settling! A lively scrap saw a small common of about 2.5lb in the net pretty quickly. By the end of the first hour I had three carp all around the same size, and each fish fell to a bait that had been worked - nothing came by sitting and waiting. As well as peg 42, pegs 46, 48 and 53 were all catching and had more than me, but I was happy to be plodding along getting bites - it's a marathon, not a sprint!

With just over an hour gone I decided that with the warm sun on my bank (it was in my eyes for the first two hours or so, and the glare meant the pic had to wait until after the match) that I'd start flicking some bait in the edge by hand, hoping that some fish would come in. I was still picking up odd fish from the long line, and again every bite was taken either as I lowered it in through the loose feed, or after lifting and dropping. Interestingly, despite there being no tow of note, my bites were coming either side of where I was feeding, lined up with a light coloured reed on the small island.

I put my sixth fish in the net dead on the two hour mark, but had no big fish with them all being 2.5/3lb fish. Peg 42 was still catching, albeit slower, and 46 was one fish ahead of me but theirs were bigger. Apart from those two the other two I could see catching had slowed and there was little to chose between us in terms of numbers, but I couldn't tell how big their fish were.

Carp number seven was the first bite I had directly over my feed, and was also the biggest fish I'd had so far at about 4lb. I was starting to miss odd bites, which I think were roach (they were topping, and the pegs opposite were catching odd ones while I plugged away on corn. It was noticeable that my bites were starting to get less frequent, so I upped the feed a little. It worked to an extent bringing me two fish in two drops (the only time that happened on that line) before fading away.

At the three hour mark I decided to top up the long line and rest it, coming in to the 5m line where I'd been feeding corn by hand. I had a fish off that line pretty instantly, but didn't get a bite in the five minutes after so decided to leave it. I had a quick try in the edge, but there were only small fish present and after a few minutes of getting little dib's I left it. As I swung the margin rig in two small bubbles came up from my 5m line, so I picked that rig up and lowered the corn down over them - I think I must have lowered the corn in to it's mouth as the float simply carried on going! After netting the 3lb'er no more bites came, so I decided to risk topping it up (just a pinch of hemp and ten grains of corn) before trying out long.

With two hours to go, peg 42 seemed to have dried up, while 46 was still catching and had probably caught them up. Most people I could see were catching now, but they'd had to wait for their bites and hadn't caught in the first half of the match. The rest seemed to have to done the swim some good, and I had another three carp from it at ten minute intervals, before it went off as though someone had flicked a switch. For the next hour I rotated the swims but couldn't raise a bite from anywhere. I decided to change the rate of feeding on my 5m line, putting half the amount in, but a little more often. I'd been in the sun most of the day (it was clouding up) so I figured my best chance of a run of fish was from there as it had warmed up. Bizarrely, the margin under the tree was carp-less, and I got bitted out when I dropped in so I discarded it!.

With twenty minutes to go I had a small 2lb common from the 5m - the only bite I had so far that hadn't come from the bait being worked. No more followed, so I had a brief try long but that had never recovered. With ten minutes to go I decided to drop in on the 5m line using the heavier rig. I adjusted the depth (I'd plumbed both areas with both the .3gr and .4gr rigs, and marked both on the top-kits) and lowered the heavier rig in. The float settled nicely, then blinked away! The lift was met with more resistance than I expected, and after a few minutes netted my best fish of the day, a common of about 5lb! With just a few minutes left I had a liner, so I lifted the float clear of the water and then slowly lowered it back down. It sat there for a few seconds before sailing away, and the lift saw planty of lakky plod out! A lively fight saw me net a ghostie mirror of about 4lb. I hoped I'd have time for one last one, but just as I lowered my rig in the whistle went.

From what I could see the other bank had fished well, while the peg to my right had caught a few late. Peg 42 was the first to weigh and they fell just shy of the 50lb mark - I figured it was close between us, but guessed I'd just pip them when asked by the angler on 72 - I figured on having about 52lb, but as I was the third from last to weigh I'd have to wait! When the scales got to me I wasn't surprised to see peg 46 comfortably in front, having a shade over 70lb. Behind that there was peg 42's 49lb odd, plus a 42lb and a 41lb with a few 30's too. Not bad considering the sharp frost in the morning! My two weighs totalled up to 51lb 14oz to give me second, and a bit of kudos for admitting to my weight near on the dot!

In the end I was happy with the second placing. I'd worked hard to keep the fish coming, and in my book that makes for an enjoyable days fishing! I'm not sure why the late rig change at 5m worked (the lighter rig behaved perfectly well in the conditions), but it's one of those things. Trying it earlier may have worked, or perhaps those fish just showed up at that time and it'd have made no difference. Who knows? Still, I'd had an enjoyable day, worked at it and caught a few fish (eighteen carp in total), while sat in quite pleasant sunshine for most of the day. Can't knock that!

Sunday October 7th

With the temperature a chilly 2 degrees C when I first ventured out in to my back garden in the morning, I definitely made good with the promise from the end of last weeks blog to take my fleece!

Despite the cold night, the lake looked good and still held a very good colour. By the time I dipped my hand in the draw bag the pegs I wanted were all gone, and peg 27 was in my hand. In the winter it's a very good peg, but in the last match on the lake that was in a line of pegs which had been very hard. I was expecting a struggle!

With the peg being about 19m wide fish the pole over was a complete no-no, so the first thing out of my bag was a 10ft Carbonactive Mini Carp, set up with a small 30gr in-line Preston method feeder. I had a two options for hook-links by using a quick-change bead - either a quick stop for fishing corn or a Sonubaits S-Pellet, or with a hair rigged pellet band so I could use try a Sonu Band 'Um. These were tied on .15 line to a size 16 Kamasan Animal. I also had two pole rigs up, one for 14m where the bottom started to slope up where I intended to fish meat and corn, and a margin rig just in case, fished at 6m to my right.

On the whistle I fed my track line with a small pinch of hemp and meat before casting across on the method. It wasn't long before I had a stonking drop-back which led me to pick the rod up, fully expecting to wind back in to a fish - but I didn't! I wasn't happy with my next cast so I wound it strait back and re-loaded the feeder. It landed spot-on this time round, so much so that I still had the rod in my hand as the tip went round! A plump little ghostie of about 2lb gave a good account of himself before being netted.

That great start didn't last long, and despite getting a few liners no more bites developed, while the pegs either side of me also had a quick fish, both bigger than mine! I topped the track line up on the forty-five minute mark, and then started sprinkling a few soaked micro's in to the groundbait (Sonubaits Krill groundbait, yes, even I've got on the band wagon a touch with that!)

On the hour mark two fish in two chucks kept me on the tip, and when the fourth carp feel a couple of casts later it looked like the slight warming of the day was bringing the fish on, as the sun started to burn off the mist. All of the fish had fell to corn hookbaits, but the biggest was perhaps about 3lb! The pegs either side had one less fish each than me, but theirs were bigger!

I topped the track line up, and then started to feed the margin as the pegs either side had both caught from their margins. I didn't put a lot in, about twenty casters plus four or five bits of meat and corn too. On the first cast after doing that I had another carp pretty instantly, but this was only about a pound and a half and found it's way in to the silvers net with the ghostie. A few bite-less casts and with nearly two and a half hours gone I decided to have one quick cast with just pellets on the feeder to leave some grub over. With a Band 'Um on the hair I gave it five or six minutes, then just as I checked the time to see if it it's allotted time was up the rod wrenched round good and proper! After a hefty tussle which saw the carp pretty much tail walk at one point, decent common of about 7lb was panned. After that I gave it two more cast's, but with no more joy I gave it a rest.

I'd seen the odd bubble coming up from the track line, so was pretty confident there were a some fish about. The peg to my right was now down the track and had caught there (including a bream of about 4lb!). I baited up with a cube of meat and lowered the rig in, and it didn't take long to get a slow liner. A minute or so later the float slipped away and the lift was met by the sight of the 13h lakky streaming out! After a bit of persuasion from the pull-bung, a common the twin of the last fish I'd had on the method was panned. I had a quick drop in with no signs so I risked topping up with a small pinch of bait. A bite a few minutes after saw me briefly hook a fish which nodded like a bream for a couple of seconds before coming off.

After losing that fish I had a brief try in the margins with no joy, so found myself back on the method. The liners and signs of fish I'd been getting had slowed up, and I sat and watched as the pegs either side caught odd fish (mostly from their margins) while I couldn't get a bite. It was as I was contemplating picking up the pole again that a bite from the blue which gave me a 4lb mirror, which led me to plug away at it a bit longer, but with no joy.

On the ninety minute mark I had a quick try in the edge but that didn't give me so much as a sign of life, so decided to try cupping in two pots of loose groundbait down there (it works everywhere else, so I read!) and then picked up the track rig again. As per the first time it didn't take long to get a bite here and a common of about 4lb was the result. And again, as per the first time I'd tried the track line line I topped up and lost a fish shortly after!

With a little over an hour to go and the temperature started to drop and the fleece was needed again! Back on the tip and I had a very savage liner. I decided to re-clip up the method a touch closer to drop it down the slope a touch more (just once round the spool, perhaps only 15-20cm) I also decided to see if the pellet / Band 'Um combo would pick up a bigger fish again. It didn't take long to tell me it worked as the rod wrenched round after a couple of minutes. It was a decent common too of about 8lb, but disaster struck as it picked up a branch close in (well, a small tree). The fish was still on for a few seconds before a "bump" feeling came up the line telling me I'd lost it. With such a short amount of line between tree and fish it broke the hook-link off against it. I got the tree in mind, that was probably 4lb....

The next cast was made using corn and the predominantly groundbait mix while I quickly tied up another method hook-link with a band on the hair (I don't like having too many banded hair-rigs tied as the bands tend to deteriorate, and I'd bent the other hook pulling in a branch from across). It took me two casts to complete the hook-link as both time the rod pulled round pretty quick, giving me a brace of 4lb'ers. I gave the corn one last chuck as it'd worked but no bites saw me back on the Band 'Um and pellet combo. As had been the case, a slightly longer wait saw a bigger fish fall as a common of about 5lb was soon panned. With the method having been the most productive line I decided to stay with it and not pick the pole up in last half hour or so. I only had one more bite on it (on corn) and another fish of about 3lb was put in the net about seven minutes before the end. I finished on eleven bigger carp, plus the two small ones. I never found out if feeding that crumb down the edge worked!

When the scales got to me 30lb was the top weight from the peg to my right. I totalled 47lb 15oz before the peg to my left fell just short of the weight to my right. The danger peg I thought was the next along who I'd seen playing a few fish, but they totalled 37lb odd to take second, but evidently they'd lost quite a few fish too.

In the end the top four weights were all in a line, and it looks like the fish are moving in to their winter haunts with the advent of the water cooling. That said, considering the weather in the lead up to the Sunday (a lot of rain two nights in a row, followed by a frost) that's hardly surprising, and it didn't fish too bad. We can't expect too much now it's October - those leaner times are just around the corner!

Sunday September 30th

Well, after last weeks soaking I was pleased that the weather forecast didn't predict any rain until long after we'd have left the bankside, which was nice because trying to find the space to get everything dry when it's still wet outside makes the nightmare process of getting everything dry even worse.

Being back on the old lake, I really fancied a draw in the open water but it wasn't to be as I found myself on peg 64. The pegs in the open water were relatively wind free, but those of us in the arms of the island found the wind hitting the island and then funnelling through. Last week the rain, this week a wind tunnel! Peg 64 has something of a poor reputation but I've always done okay of it. The downside is it's a late go'er so it's a case of hoping the fish show up early enough!

I had three areas to target in the swim; tight across at 13.5m, 5m and the right hand margin at 4m. At times the wind wasn't too bad, so I risked going on the lighter side with the rigs. The far bank had a .1gr NG XTM, in 14in of water this had 2ft of line above the float to allow for the wind. This was on .17 line to a .15 hook-link and an 18 hook. Lakky was Preston 13h. For the 5m line I had a .3gr NG Decker, set with the same terminal gear as the far bank rig. With minutes to go before the all-in, I also put up a heavier .4gr of the same. Lastly was a .2gr NG XTM for the margins. Hooks and line were stepped up here, and the lakky was Preston 15h.

The start of the match led to the 5m line getting about a third of a pot of hemp and corn before going across with a tiny pot on the pole to feed just 4-6 pellets each time. The close proximity of the margin meant I'd feed it by hand. The wind meant that the pot didn't stay on long! It was also very frustrating as I could see signs of fish across, but it was impossible to present the rig to them! the lighter float came off to be replaced with a .2gr version, but still the gusty wind ruined the presentation. Putting a string of backshot along the line helped when the wind wasn't so bad, but the skim was a nightmare as the wind rushed along the island.

After forty minutes or so frustration got the better of me - I'd missed one bite across but the wind was less gusty and more consistent blowing now. In the odd lull I could see fish over the bait (when the wind let me feed with the catty), but trying to fish it was only going to lead to a bad back and/or a broken pole. I didn't fancy either and left it alone!

Going on to the 5m line I didn't expect too much so early. An odd liner gave me a little heart, but I could see most of the pegs in the open water catching steadily. I started flicking bait in to the margin to try and get that going too.

It was on about the ninety minute mark when I had my first carp. A brief lull in the wind led me to drop in across. I tried a cube of as a change bait and the float was away instantly. Not a big fish - a common of about 2lb but I was off the mark. Unfortunately the wind picked up again and put the mockers on it!

Dropping back to the 5m and either the rest or the quarter pot top-up had worked as I missed a bite lowering the rig in right over the feed (surprising given the wind). Lowering the rig back in didn't work, so I re-filled the small pot and lowering the hook bait in through the loose feed. As soon as the corn hit hit the bottom the float was away! A decent common of around 4lb was culprit, and a few minutes later he was joined by his little brother. Again, this one was taken lowering in through the feed and the bite came within seconds. With the fish taking like that I wished I could have fished the light rig, but I could only get any presentation fishing with the heavier one! Another 3lb'er fell after a short while but the swim seemed to be fading. I could get signs of fish, but no bites.

With the half way point of the match arriving I topped up the 5m line with the same amount as I'd started it with. A positive move but I was a long way behind the open water pegs! A drop in the margins got me a bite on double corn but I missed it and no more came, so I gambled on upping the regularity of my feeding here so I was flicking bait in to it every five minutes or so.

By now the wind had got even worse, so I put two more no8 Stotz on the line as backshot halfway between the float and pole tip. They'd have sank the float normally but by holding them just in the water they absorbed most of the wind buffeting. It was perhaps a combination of the better presentation and the re-feed and rest but I started to nick an odd fish off the 5m line. I was by no means motoring, but the fish were a decent average stamp with each one being around 4lb. Again, every fish fell quickly after lowering in the rig. By dropping it in but holding the float clear of the water I let the rig straiten. Once it had dropped strait I lowered the float in, holding tight to the back shot. If I got a bite it was within seconds and I didn't miss one.

With an hour to go I had eight carp, and decided that I could risk a quick drop in the edge to see if there was anything there. I had a bite on double corn no sooner had it hit the bottom, but it was only a bubba of about 2lb. No more signs followed in the coming minutes so I gave it a whole handful of both corn and hemp, making plenty of noise. I picked the heavier rig up for the 5m line, lowered it in and then noticed swirls coming from the edge!

I gave it about thirty seconds at 5m (enough time to get a bite if it was going to, given how it had been), before bringing it in and picking up the margin rig. Double corn was lowered in, and holding the rig tight to the back shot as the float settled (as I had been at 5m) got me a bite instantly! As I played the fish I flicked a few grains of corn in to keep them happy, before netting a fish that was nearer 5lb than 4lb. That worked another two times with similar stamp fish, before they were gone as quick as they turned up. I gambled by giving it just one handful of bait before going back to the 5m line with just over twenty minutes left.

The wind had eased a lot now, and while I could get odd indications no bites came. I decided I could get away with the lighter rig now, so tried that but using a cube of meat as a change bait. It worked, but strangely now I had to leave the bait static! I had two fish on this, albeit they were both smaller at 2.5/3lb, before gambling the last few minutes in the edge, but that didn't get me one last lump that I was hoping for, and I finished on thirteen carp.

I was packed away in time to follow the scales round, and 59lb and 46lb were the top weights from the open water. Peg 62 to my left in the corner also had a slightly bigger 46lb weight caught late on from their long margin before I topped them with my fish going 47lb 13oz. There was another low 40lb weight from the open water pegs on my bank, before I was pushed down in to third by a 53lb wieght.

I was happy enough with that given the conditions - the first spell of the match was a nightmare with the wind, and perhaps I should have tried the bomb over. Other than that I don't think there was much else I could have done - I never lost a fish and only missed two bites. I think it's fair to say the summer bagging has finished now, as that was the second weekend in a row I've sat with my jacket on. I'm taking my fleece next week!

Wet, Wetter and Soaked! 23/9/12

No picture today folks, as I didn't have time to take it before the match - no way was the camera coming out after in that!

I was pretty happy with my draw on the new lake - peg 29 has had some decent form recently so I fancied it for a few fish. It's a wide peg (17.5m) and I did put up a pole rig to fish across to the nearest part of the island. However, I've been struggling during the week with a sore shoulder and didn't fancy fishing it, and more so with the forecast weather! I also set up a 10ft Preston Mini Carp to fish a small method feeder in the little bay slightly to the left which was about 18m away. I set up a rig for 13m which was just up from the deepest part of the channel, and also a rig to fish both margins.

It hadn't rained until dead on the whistle, and from then on that was it for the day! It took me ten minutes to get my first bite on the small method, and when the thirty minute mark came it was looking to be a decent day despite the weather as I had three carp in the net, all falling to corn. No big fish at 3lb a piece, but steady fishing.

After my third fish the swim seemed to die - indications and everything just stopped. I was toying with trying the pole on the hour mark when I had a bite out of the blue and a lively scrap saw me put a ghostie of about 5lb in the net. I plugged away a bit longer and the same thing happened - half an hour with no sign, and then just as I was about to leave it a bite from nowhere! A small 3lb mirror this time.

No more followed for a bit so I tried the pole but with no joy. Nobody on my part of the lake was catching, but I could see pegs 23 and 34 both plodding away. I have to admit I started to wish I'd bought a fleece with me and the cold and damp meant I relented and put my brolly up! I hate the sitting under it, but with no bites I decided on a bit of shelter. The batteries in my little portable radio also decided they'd had enough and died, so I didn't even have the football for entertainment!

I was rotating the swims but it just wasn't happening, and I never had a bite on the pole at all. Pegs 23 and 34 were still plodding on, and I was watching them with ten minutes to go (having packed away my pole rigs already) when the tip wanged round and near took the rod in! Another small 3lb common was soon netted, and another followed on the next cast. Marvellous! No bites for four hours and that happens...

I packed away rather soggy and went to follow the scales around. Peg 5 was the first to weigh and they had around 35lb, and few DNW's followed before peg 11 put just short of 60lb on the scales for the win. I think there was a DNW, a 21lb weight and a 27lb weight before the scales got to peg 23 who put 43lb odd on the scales. Only two people bothered to weigh in along my side of the lake - the peg to my right didn't make double figures and my seven pasties went 23lb odd. Peg 34 who I'd seen catching had lost a few fish but still managed 41lb for third but they perhaps lost enough to challenge first place. I'm not sure what the last couple weighed as I trudged back to get my barrow before I needed a boat instead!

So not a great day for me, but given the conditions it didn't fish too bad overall. Perhaps if I'd fished the long pole in to the little bay all day I may have had a bit more - but perhaps not. I know it would have just made my shoulder worse anyhow so it was ultimately for the best. At the end of the day I never had enough fish in front of me to win and at least I had the best weight on my part of the lake. It's going to take days to get everything dry now (no chance of it going in the garden in the next few days!), so I hope next weekend brings some drier weather!

Sunday September 16th

This weeks open was again on the old lake as there had been a club booking on the new lake on the Saturday. I don't know how they fared but it was a cracking day on the Saturday, which led to me feeling not the best first thing due to an impromptu bar-be-que! Still, helping with the on-going tree removal around and between the lakes for an hour before the draw soon saw the night before's excess worn off!

I really wanted a draw in the open water on the lake but didn't get my wish an ended up sat of peg 57 which is right round the back of the island. In years past it's been the area you want in late summer / early autumn, but it's current form has been pretty poor in all honesty. Still, I had a bit of room so I set about making the best of it! The gardening theme carried on for a bit as I had ten minutes cutting bankside vegetation to allow me to get tight to the edge, and I also trimmed the reedy-like things that were overhanging in to the peg. Not only does it make it look tidy, but it stops you grabbing one when reaching for the net or a section - they can give nasty cuts much like a paper cut! I learnt that the hard way!

After making the peg nice and comfortable it was time for the rigs. I had three up for the day - one for the far bank, on for 5m and a margin rig. The far bank was plumbed up until I found a nice clear area with about 16in of depth. Float was a .1gr NG XTM on .17 line to a .15 hooklink and a size 16 hook, the lakky was Preston 15h. The 5m rig was a .3gr NG Decker in about 5ft of water. Lines and hooks were the same as the far bank rig, but the lakky was Preston 13h. Last up was a margin line for the edge to my left, about 6m away. Gear was slightly stepped up here, with .19 to .17, with a .2gr NG XTM used in the 2ft of water I had here. Lakky was Preston 17h.

With the match under way I fed the 5m line with half a medium pot of hemp and corn before going across on an 8mm banded pellet with just half-a-dozen 6mm pellets in a Cad-Pot. It took about ten minutes before I had odd signs of a fish, and shortly after my first carp was in the net. Only a small common of about 2lb, but a fish still! I carried on dripping in a few pellets with the pot, and the signs of life started to pick up.

It wasn't until the half hour mark when my next fish fell, a slightly bigger fish of about 3lb. This triggered a little bit of a flurry and by the hour mark I had five carp. The biggest about 5lb, but the rest the more usual 3lb. As tends to happen after the flurry the swim faded a bit. I was still getting knocks but it seemed they were from the small carp as I could see no signs of fish across. My thoughts were proved correct when I had a small common of about 6oz, and then on the ninety minute mark a small mirror of about 12oz.

I decided that to try and bring the proper fish back I'd use the catty to feed rather than the pot, hoping the noise would encourage the fish. Upping the feed tends to make the small fish problem worse! Hopes that this was the trick were raised when my sixth proper carp fell - a mirror about 4lb, but after that I only added a small 6oz common in the next half hour or so.

With the half way point in the match approaching I fed the margin, but after last weeks bits problem it didn't get a lot - a third of a pot of corn with a few bits of meat in. I dropped in on the 5m line which I'd been feeding by hand, but ten minutes here gave me just a liner. I had a brief foray across again, but a small 4oz common was the only result. I gave the 5m line a bit of a hit with a pinch of hemp and corn via the pot, before dropping in the margins.

Two cubes of meat in the edge got a pretty quick response, but again it was one of those little palm sized commons. I put a pot on the pole and topped the swim up with a pinch of corn, and had double corn on the hook. I missed the first bite, but not the second. It wasn't the margin pig I wanted, but it was another 3lb in the net. Two more followed in pretty quick succession, but then the bites stopped. I topped it up with a decent pinch of corn and left it alone.

Dropping in at 5m I started to get a response, but after a flurry of three fish quickly it slowed up. They were perhaps a little bigger than the margin fish mind. The last part of the match was spent rotating between the margins and 5m. I never managed to line up a run of fish, but after every rest the 5m line would give me a proper carp, and sometimes two. The margins gave me only one more 3lb'er, and a few more little baby carp! I did lose a good fish from the 5m line, which led me a merry dance before snagging me on a bramble hanging from the island. It may have been foul hooked, from the swirls it was much bigger than any fish I'd landed.

I finished the match with seventeen or eighteen proper carp and the ones in the bits net, but didn't really know how I'd done as I could only see three other anglers. Two of those tipped back just one fish a piece, and the next peg to my right had at best half of what I'd had. I packed away and met the scales just as the first peg was being weighed in, and they put 47lb on the scales. I knew I had that, but others were telling me that pegs 70 and 72 had caught well. When the scales got to me I totalled 63lb and a few ounces, while next door just scraped 30lb. In the end pegs 70 and 72 totalled 49lb and 53lb respectively to make the frame places close, but I finished 10lb clear for what is my first win off that peg!

I'm sure next week is on the new lake after a couple of weeks away from it - it'll be nice to fish it rather than just cut down tree's around it!

Sunday September 9th

It seems (this weekend at least) that the start of autumn has bought a little touch of summer with it!

I dipped in the draw bag earlier than I normally do this week, and was happy enough with the result - peg 46 was sitting in the palm of my hand. It's not every body's favourite peg but I like it as you have options. Along with the deeper open water it has nice shallow margins which allow you to get tight in to the bank. It'd do me for the day!

I had three rigs set up for the match, and the first up was a shallow rig for 13m. Realistically this would only get used for the first hour to nick an odd fish until the other lines settled, else I may have set one up for deeper. It was fished 12in deep to comply with the fishery rules, with the float a small NG Floats Extra Tough dibber on .17 line with a .15 hook-link. The hook was a 16 Kamasan animal tied knotless knot style with a pellet band on the hair. Lakky was Preston 15h, and all the shot was under the float to let the bait sink slowly. The next rig was for the 2+2 line. This did start as a .3gr NG Decker, but was later stepped up to a .4gr with the wind. It was on the same lines as the shallow rig but with a size 18 Fox Series 2 hook. The lakky was black hydro on a pull-bung and the swim was about 5ft 6in deep. Last up was a margin rig for the right-hand side at about 5m. In 2ft of water a .2gr NG XTM was fished on .19 line to a .17 hook-link tied to a size 16 Fox Series 2, with the lakky being 17h.

I went for quite a positive start on the 2+2 line, giving it a whole medium pot of hemp and corn before picking up the shallow rig. I'd only had one flick of the catapult before the elastic pulled out - I call that a good start! It was only a small fish of about 2lb, but I was off the mark. Unlike the last time I fished shallow on the lake, I wasn't besieged by bitterling out long, so could flick a few pellets out in an attempt to make something happen rather than just trying to mug cruising fish as others were.

It was only about ten minutes later when I had my next bite - just a very slow but deliberate pull down of the pole tip. A slow, almost breamy fight saw me net a big old crucian that was probably 2lb! After this the cruising fish seemed to vanish, and the next bite didn't come until the 45min mark, just as I was going to leave the swim. Again, this fish was only about 2lb, but it led me to give the swim another twenty minutes which didn't produce.

Just after the hour saw me pick up the 2+2 rig, after first giving the margins it's first pot of bait as others had started to catch odd fish in the edge. It's perhaps worth pointing out that albeit early in the match, we didn't start until midday so it was after 1pm now. The 2+2 didn't take long to start getting indications and I was soon plodding away on the line quite nicely, albeit again the fish were very small average size. Two and a half hour in to the match saw me up to ten carp, but not one was bigger than 3lb. I was getting nearly every bite by lowering the rig slowly through the potted in corn with strung shotting. If I didn't get a bite after a few minutes I re-potted some corn and did the same again and it was working nicely. Others were catching faster (pegs 44 looked to be, as was peg 70 opposite to the left, who was fishing under a tree in the edge)

The steady run wasn't destined to last forever, and actually, it died a very rapid death! I bumped a fish at the same time as the louder jet planes started their aerobatics over the nearby Duxford airfield. The two combined was like a switch was flicked, and I couldn't get a bite! It's not the first time it's happened, and while the older prop planes don't seem to bother them much (and I quite like watching the Spitfires that are regularly seen over head even when there isn't a display), having F15's and Eurofighters low flying over the airfield really does. I wouldn't mind, but I couldn't see them most of the time! Even a low flying C47 direct over head and a Catalina Flying Boat that looked like it was going to land on the lake didn't upset them, but they absolutely don't like the jets!

A while later the Red Arrows meant a finale to the show with just over an hour of the match left, and odd bites started to happen again. Carp number eleven was my first bite in the edge and a touch bigger at around 4lb, but no more followed and the bitterling moved in! I came tighter in to the edge in about 14in of water in an attempt to avoid them, re-feeding before going back to the 2+2 line.

I was getting odd bites but not as fast as before, albeit the next few fish were bigger than it had been producing at around 3lb. I was on fourteen fish with forty minutes left and saw some tails in the edge - time to have a go for them! I harboured brief thoughts of a late bag-up when an 8lb ghostie was followed by a 4lb'er, but they proved to be the last fish I had as the bitterling came up to the bank and shredded everything in sight. Damn things! I tried upping the feed in an attempt to get the carp to push them out, but in hindsight that was the wrong thing to do, and made them worse!

I finished up with sixteen carp and a crucian. I knew I didn't have what peg 70 did - they had around twenty carp from what I'd seen. Peg 44 was admitting to eighteen carp but said they were all small, while I could see others with a couple less fish than me, but bigger. Still, I'd get to see them all, as I was on the scales!

First up was peg 44, and their fish totalled just over 50lb by a couple of ounces - it was going to be tight. I totalled just over 53lb, and we held of a few high 40lb weights until we were pushed down by peg 70 who we knew had more. I can't remember the exact weight, but they totalled just over 80lb and that's the second win in a row for that peg - something that doesn't happen often in the warmer months on the venue.

I was quite happy to make the frame in the end - I wasn't sure I was going to at one point. The phenomenon of the air display affecting the fishing is one I've had before, and it was the same for others in open water swims. It's the last display of the year mind, so it's not something that'll bother us again until next year anyway!

Sunday September 2nd

I have to admit September is probably my favourite month of all for fishing, as nature has a habit of making everything look at it's best as yellow, orange and gold starts to mingle in with the greenery. I think the fish are at their best too, with spawning a distant memory and a summers worth of feeding they are full, fit and healthy - what better time to catch them?

I have to admit that when I went in to the draw bag all the pegs I really wanted were gone, but was fairly happy with peg 23 in the corner as it's had good recent form (I think second in the last two matches on the lake). Also, being too wide for the pole makes it a simple peg to tackle!

Set up for the day was simple - a 10ft feeder rod to fish the method to the island, and two pole rigs. One for the open water at 13m, one for 14m across the bay to my left in the margin. Nothing complex! The open water line was about 6ft deep and had a .4gr Nick Gilbert Decker on .17 line to a .15 hook-link and a size 18 Fox Series 2 hook, and this was matched to black hydro on a pull bung. The margin rig was a .2gr XTM on .19 to a .17 hook-link and size 16 hook. This was matched to Preston 17h lakky. I had a variety of hook-links tied up for the method (all 4in of .17 line to a size 16 Kamasan Animal hook) so I could try a mixture of baits - either hair rigged hard pellets, corn or some Sonubait's Band-Um's that I'd bought recently to try. I had both soaked 2mm pellets and groundbait (Sonubait's Krill) to try in various percentages on the feeder.

I didn't feed the margin initially, and gave the 13m line a pot of hemp, meat and corn before starting on the feeder. It took around twenty minutes before I started getting the odd liner, and my first bite wasn't until the forty-five minute mark which gave me a skimmer of about 1lb which fell to a grain of corn. It was dead on the hour mark when my first carp fell to the feeder, and only a small one at about 3lb in weight. Again, this one fell to corn, and on the first chuck when I left the bait visible on the top of the feeder.

It didn't take too much longer for my second carp to fall, and a proper rod-wrencher gave me a common of about 8lb which again fell to corn. After that it was a case of getting just odd liners, so I switched to one of the Band-Um's which got me a bite pretty quickly - although a bream nudging 3lb wasn't what I was expecting!

After that flurry the swim seemed to fade, so on the 2hr mark I fed the margin with a pot of bait before having a drop on the pole line in the open water. I was pretty surprised to not get any bites here, as I'd seen a few bubbles from over the feed. Never the less, I topped it up with half a cup as I had been doing every forty minutes of so, and then went back on the feeder.

Up until this point I'd been using a mixture of pellets and groundbait on the feeder, so decided to try cutting out the pellet to see if that slowed the liners. This led to a little flurry of activity with three fish falling in the next eight or so casts. All the bites were pretty quick in coming, so I started to leave the feeder in for no longer than about three minutes. Two fish fell to corn, and one to a Tigerfish Band-Um. No real big fish, but all decent stamper's of about 4lb. Unfortunately, my little bagging spell came to an end when I lost a fish after the hook-link parted in the middle. I can only assume it was damaged or cut under the water as it wasn't under any more pressure than the other fish had given.

I plugged away for a bit on the feeder, and went back to putting a few pellets in the feeder too, to keep some bait in the swim. After a dozen or so fish-less casts I came off the feeder to try the pole lines. I could see peg 29 catching a few down the edge (now the tree's are gone!) but I couldn't get a bite from my margin. A switch to the open water line saw me miss two bites on meat in quick succession. I tried corn as a change, which didn't work! Going back on meat and nothing came, so I topped the swim up again.

Back on the feeder and the rest gave me an instant bite while the line was still tightening up, this one on one of the Sonubaits Band-Um's (a dumbell shaped boilie/pellet). Incidentally, I couldn't get a bite on a normal pellet! Again, it wasn't a big fish, but a decent weight builder at about 4lb. No more bites came and I was chopping and changing things again in an attempt to bring a bite. With a little over an hour left carp number seven fell, a touch smaller this one at about 3lb, before the next cast saw a proper rod wrencher which I thought I'd missed! It turned out to be a roach of about 3oz!

Going in to the last hour the feeder had faded away dramatically, so I plugged away on the pole lines, spending longer on the open water line as I'd at least had bites there. With about forty minutes to go I had a small mirror of about 2lb, but no more bites followed. I topped it up with a small amount of bait, and had a brief try in the margin but it was lifeless. Going back on the feeder brought a liner but I'm sure it was from a fish well away from the island, and it just didn't have the feel that it was going to go.

With a little under half an hour left I decided to plug away on the open water line, and was rewarded ten minutes before the end with a ghostie of about 3lb, and then with just five minutes to go a plump common of about 5lb. Both fell to a single cube of meat. Despite liners after, I didn't quite have enough time to nab another!

Packing away and I wasn't sure quite how well I'd done - I'd well beaten the anglers either side of me who only had two carp a piece, but peg 29 had a few and I was led to believe that peg 14 had caught well, as had peg 11. I got to the scales as peg 7 was weighing and they put just over 47lb on the scales - I didn't think I'd quite have that. Peg 11 then put 43lb on the scales, which is about what I thought I'd have. Peg 14 had a fair few fish, but not so many proper carp and they had a weight somewhere in the 30's. The next couple to weigh didn't trouble the frame weights and then it was my turn. With 4lb odd in the silvers net I lifted the carp out and it was obvious it was going to be close. With 45lb in there I had just enough to take the lead with a total of just over 49lb.

I finished packing away and met the scales again as the last person weighed in. Peg 29 who I thought was going to have more than me turned out to have less than I thought, and had a mid 30's weight, before the end peg had an upper 30's weight.

In the end it was hard work for the win, as the lake didn't fish as well as many of us thought it was going to. I think I was guilty of over feeding the pole lines - the open water line had bubbles for most of the day, but my bites came on it as I cut back on the feed late on. It could have just been the case of they fed better (as they tend to everywhere), but I wasn't the only one who felt that they'd perhaps over done it a little.

The method perhaps showed that lot's of feed wasn't best - just crumb on the feeder proved to be best on the day, as did a visual hook bait (both in terms of left on top of the feeder, and colour, due to corn getting the most bites). I quite like the idea of the Band-Um's, and am going to seek out some of the other flavours which have nice bright colours! The Tigerfish ones I have are a nice subtle brown. I think they may be useful as bright single hookbait's in the winter too.

I think next week is back on the old lake, and with the weather forecast to get quite hot also I think Autumn may be put on hold for just a short while. It's also the last Duxford air display of the year, so if the water isn't worth watching, the sky may well be!